Matriarch of Monsters

"So do we just keep the head of this thing or what?" Alix stared at the ogre head in her hands before tossing it to the side. "I guess not." Mo said answering his own question.

It had been a few hours sense they engaged the now slain monster in combat. Alix had insisted on skinning the beast as ogre skin made for a great sorcery catalyst. Mo shivered recalling the girl's methodical dissection of the creature.

"That was just nasty!" Alix turned to the fish. "You seemed not to care when I did the same to the wolves. What could be so different about this?" Alix held the skin up as she asked.

"Well that was just a beast. Those things were modeled after mortals right?"

"That is correct."

"And ya don't see how that could be nasty! It's almost like ya just cut the skin off of another person. They were based off of you guys after all!" Alix shrugged.

"Still just a monster." Mo shivered again.

"The fact that yer not even the slightest bit disgusted may also be one of the various reasons that ya don't have any normal mortal friends." Alix shook her head and glanced down at Trouler of whom she was currently carrying.

"You see me normally. Right Trouler?" The peccary squealed in affirmation. "Thank you Trouler!" Mo scoffed.

"He's just too young to see ya for what ya really are! A creature far more terrifying and dangerous than any monster ever to exist!" Alix's deadpan expression showed Mo that he had successfully annoyed his partner.

"Another job well done!"

"You know Trouler? They make really good seafood in Pesinwok and even let you bring your own ingredients. I wonder what a sauteed pink fish would taste like?" Mo's eyes shot wide.

"Yer kiddin' right?" Alix ignored the fish not sparing him a glance. "Wait. Lexi? I'm sorry! DON'T COOK ME!!"

...

The group eventually returned to the cabin they had slept in the previous night. No reason to sleep on the ground when you've received permission to sleep in a renowned enchanter's hidden cabin. Right?

As soon as they entered Trouler's eyes sparkled with wonder. "Squee!" Alix smiled.

"Never seen the inside of a cabin before, huh?" Trouler nodded intensely. "Well then I am glad that I could be the one to give you such a large benchmark within your life. Why not run around a bit?" Trouler immediately obliged the girl as he ran around the room as fast as he could.

Every time his little feet clopped against the wooden floor he did a little happy squeel. It was one of the cutest things that the girl had the pleasure of witnessing.

"This is amazing." Alix sat down at the desk to work on some sorcery spells before bed. She reached in her bag and reconfirmed something that she had discovered earlier. Alix only had five usable catalyst left to inscribe her spells on.

Alix sighed as this was another plight of the sorcerer vocation. It was quite expensive to be one. One had to purchase catalysts with money and because you needed a special touch to make them they tended to be quite expensive. Alix had been able to make due with all of her father's left over catalyst before but when she left home she could only take some many with her.

She gritted her teeth in frustration. 'I may have been a bit spoiled at home.' She shook her head and began to work. There was nothing that she could do about the current circumstances. All she could do now was use her spells sparingly and try to improve her spell script which was becoming even more important now.

Had to save on money somehow and what better way than not needing catalyst at all. As she was starting to work on a spell Alix caught a glance of her gloves. She was wearing them but had not made use of them even while fighting the ogre.

Her eyes widened as she suddenly recalled an idea she had earlier. She looked at her remaining catalyst with a confident smile.

"What better time is there to try something new than when your running low on materials?" Alix began to pour into her work. She worked late into the night failing attempt after attempt at what she was trying to do.

In the end she collapsed on the desk in exhaustion both physical and mental. Morning came and she was awoken by Trouler nuzzling against her leg.

"Mmmh." Alix groaned still tired from her late work session. Trouler puffed his little furry cheeks when Alix didn't get up. He took a few steps back, rubbed one of his feet against the ground and charged into the girl full speed. The impact knocked the chair over with Alix still in it.

Alix hit the ground hard, finally awaking to an influx of pain on her side. "Ouch!" Alix's eyes opened to see her peccary standing proudly before her. "Squee!" Alix rubbed her hand over her eyes and slowly arose.

"I'm up, all right! And I thought Mo was the drama queen." Just as the thought crossed her mind Alix noticed that Mo had moved his fish bowl to the bed and slept up there for the night. "Never mind, I just have two now." Alix sighed.

She sat the chair back upright and that she left her catalyst on the desk last night with a her spell half written on it. "So I worked myself to sleep again." She had gone through three of the five before falling asleep making progress each time.

"Alright. Let me give this one more try before leaving." Alix sat back down at the desk and returned to her work to dismay of young Trouler. He had been hoping to play with his savior a bit but could tell that she was busy so he backed down.

"If I configure the Luipia Quartex with the Bifeast Line theorem I may be able to- no that would break Deon's Law of Laterality. Wait, but if I instead add in the methods from the Tonel Approach. Yes this is working!" Alix's hands began to fly over the catalyst as she had managed to figure something out using who knows what.

Trouler surely didn't. He was just happy that his savior seemed to be almost done. Then they could go play!

"Tying it all together with Songs of the Specterweavers and I get-BOOOM!"

...

The spell blew up in her face. She had gotten too excited and the spell blew up in her face. Alix sighed and thought about trying again but was highly discouraged by her little spectator. Alix chuckled down at Trouler. "Alright. This will just have to wait for when we make it to the city." Alix gently pet Trouler's head making him quite pleased.

"Could ya keep it down! Some of us fish need at least 14 hours of beauty sleep!" Alix looked to the bed to see Mo's annoyed glare.

"Well too bad." She stood up and placed the two remaining catalyst back into her bag.

"We are now leaving."